Change happens in the offseason.
Like every other NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks will add draft picks and sign free agents this summer. But for current players such as Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Alex Vlasic, their games won’t advance at puck drop of the 2025-26 season opener.
The work has to start in the summer.
“We’ve got players, young players, who we know can play in the NHL and deserve the opportunity to find themselves in the NHL,” general manager Kyle Davidson said last month. “Now they have to have a good summer, come into camp and earn that, of course. There’s going to be competition throughout that young group to determine who is part of that roster into the season.”
Added veteran forward Jason Dickinson: “This is quite frankly a team with open spots everywhere. Not one of us has a solid spot. So you have to come in and take your job and make it happen because this team is looking for guys to do that.”
Culture is created not only in locker rooms during the season, but also in gyms and ice rinks during the summer.
“It’s on them at this point because they are the guys that are going to take this team forward,” Dickinson said. “They’ve got to take it. And the confidence that they come in with gives me the hope and the inspiration that that is what they want to do and what they’re going to do.”
After the Hawks finished with the second-worst record in the NHL (25-46-11) for the second year in a row, several players shared some of their offseason plans.
Connor Bedard, forward
Next season: It’s the Hawks’ job to keep supplementing Bedard with talent — either prospects or free-agent acquisitions. It will be Bedard’s job to maximize that support by continuing to round out his game as a center: faceoffs, defense, etc.
This summer: “He’s 19, he’s got room and areas to grow in,” Davidson said. “I believe he truly understands that. He’s excited to attack that.”
Bedard plans to do just that.
“It’s just working as smart as I can and just learning your body, learning how you’re going to get the most out of yourself,” Bedard said, elaborating on plans he revealed to the Tribune. “That’s the big thing for this summer. Probably the biggest thing is speed, acceleration.”
Playing with Nazar and Ilya Mikheyev conveyed to Bedard that he needed more than just “average speed.”
“I’m not ever going to be (Nathan) MacKinnon or (Connor) McDavid or anyone like that,” he said, “(but) if I can gain another step, (it) puts guys on their heels a little more, and the way I think the game, that could be a huge plus for me and help me create more.”
Frank Nazar, forward
Next season: Nazar put up 12 goals and 14 assists in 53 games and finished on a heater: 1.1 points per game in April.
“I wish we could’ve played more games,” he said. “Wish I was there for the full 82.”
That won’t be a problem next season. He seems like a lock for a top-six role.
This summer: His breakaway abilities and strengths as a penalty killer were remarkable, but there’s room to improve on faceoffs and preparing for the rigors of an 82-game NHL schedule — something he never has done.
“I want to get stronger and faster,” he said. “I don’t think you should ever try to lose that but still working on it. All-around game, just trying to focus on puck touches and some small things and get better at those things.”
Teuvo Teräväinen, forward
Next season: Nazar finished the last 10 games with Teräväinen as his linemate, and the Hawks might want to explore that in the future too.
Nazar had some of his most promising lines with Teräväinen, including combinations with Colton Dach (52% expected goals-for), Mikheyev (51%) and Tyler Bertuzzi (49.9%).
“I feel like we found some chemistry out there,” Teräväinen said. “It was fun to play with him. … We started finding each other more.
“He’s got some really good speed, so (I) try to find him with the speed. He was trying to get himself open better too. Like when I get the puck, I feel like he was reading better too.”
This summer: Training will be business as usual — only longer. Teräväinen also has to prepare for the Milano Cortina Games in February.
“It’s going to be a big year for me next year, too, like (an) Olympic year,” said Teräväinen, who at the time of his interview also was considering joining Finland’s World Championship roster. “It’s always been one of my biggest dreams. So that’s going to be a big part of next season too.”
Jason Dickinson, forward
Next season: In reality, Dickinson likely will slip further in the pecking order from 2023-24, when he co-led the team in goals (22) with Bedard.
But that’s likely just fine for the defensive specialist. Still, he won’t want a repeat of this season, marred by a left ankle and wrist injuries and a frustrating lack of production.
“Yeah, it’s pretty brutal,” he said. “It sucked. I tried to play through a lot of things, and this was just something that I couldn’t play through … for obvious reasons. It really sucks. I hate that my season ended early and ended the way it did.”
This summer: Dickinson wore a cast to exit interviews, so healing is at the top of the agenda.
“I’ve got a checkup in a few weeks to make sure everything is on pace still,” said Dickinson, who hopes to have the cast off by next week.
Joe Veleno, forward
Next season: Veleno wants to develop his offensive game and finish more chances. The trade acquisition had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 18 games with the Hawks after totaling only 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 56 games with the Detroit Red Wings.
Still, Veleno knows his primary focus as a fourth-liner will be protecting leads, and he wants to dial into that.
“Just keep working on my skills,” he told the Tribune. “Working on my shot, working on my hands, picking pucks off the wall, working down low, cutting back and protecting pucks.”
This summer: Veleno plans to watch clips with his trainers, “seeing what I can do better.”
“Trying to implement that on the ice in the offseason with a couple other guys and doing some game-scenario situations,” he said. “It’s just about getting touches on the ice. The more touches you get, the more you practice (them), the more confident you’ll feel doing that skill.”
Landon Slaggert, forward
Next season: Slaggert produced two goals and four assists in 33 games and was fairly solid defensively, but he wants to improve on his meager 5.9% shooting percentage.
“He’s had some opportunities to shoot and had them blocked or whatnot,” interim coach Anders Sörensen said. “But it’s an area for him to work on.
“He does bring a lot of other positives to the group with his work ethic and compete. Add another layer to your development in terms of shooting and get a little more offense out of that, for sure.”
This summer: Slaggert’s girlfriend has encouraged him to add yoga to his offseason routine, something they can do together.
“She’s got me into it really nice,” he told the Tribune. “Get off the ice, get out of the weight room, helps me work on my mobility.”
Slaggert has a list of hockey skills he wants to work on, too, “but (it starts with) my touch, kind of first-touch plays,” he said. “Being able to settle down more pucks, I’ll be able to create more plays out there.
“Things happen so fast at this level. Being able to get a clean puck or create a clean puck out of a bad one, just be able to make more of those 5-foot plays, those little passes, I think will go a long way for my game and just lead to more success on the offensive side.”
Kevin Korchinski, defenseman
Next season: Korchinski knows he brings offensive skill to his position, but he has a bigger priority: size.
He has talked about gaining weight ever since the Hawks drafted him with the No. 7 pick in 2022, but every camp he weighs in about 185 to 187 pounds.
If he hopes to stay up in the NHL, he recognizes, “I’ve got to have a big summer and know what I’ve got to kind of work on.”
“I’ve got to get stronger compared to last year, take a bit more time off the ice, just so I can get bigger and stronger,” he told the Tribune. “Obviously I think I have the skill. I won’t lose skill. I need to get a lot stronger so I can play better and be more physical and maybe even quicker, faster. So just getting in the gym and really grinding that out is my goal.”
This summer: While he’s working on his body, he’ll also look to adjust his equipment, specifically his hockey stick.
“I actually switched my curve this year and I added a bit more curve and a bit bigger blade, just because the ice in most rinks, it gets really crappy after 10 minutes in the third period,” Korchinski said.
He switched from a Bauer Hyperlite with a P88 curve to a P88 alternate “with a little toe, and then I added a quarter of an inch to the top,” he said. “It makes it a bit bigger, so heavier blades settle the puck down. It’s just easier to catch passes.”
Korchinski said it made a difference.
“I noticed how, like, pucks bobbling, it’d be easier with a bigger blade just to settle it down so it doesn’t bounce over your stick,” he said, “just because little plays I got makes it more comfortable. Getting a bad pass, I can corral it and make a play rather than having to worry about settling it down.”
Korchinski said the idea came from Rockford IceHogs assistant coach Josh MacNevin
“He was really on me the whole year for trying it,” Korchinski said. “And I was kind of stubborn. … I tried it out and I really liked it.”
Korchinski plans to tinker with the blade curve some more but under the guidance of trainers such as Blaine Whyte, founder of Pro Sport Rehab and Fitness in Korchinski’s native Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
“I’ve got to ask the trainers if I can switch,” he said. “They were fortunate enough to let me try a new sample stick.”
Alex Vlasic, defenseman
Next season: Due to attrition, Vlasic has become one of the senior members of his position group — seemingly overnight.
“It was kind of crazy at a whole team level just to see the difference in age that we started with to finish with,” he said. “I feel like the team changed quite a bit.”
The weight of the Hawks defense will fall on his shoulders.
“It’s just getting used to the minutes, the games and the sheer force that you’re putting on your body every single night,” he told the Tribune.
This summer: He plans to review areas of improvement with Hawks skills coach Brian Keane. He’ll also join Nazar on the U.S. team for the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark.
“Last year I had a lot of fun and learned a lot,” he said. “There’s a bunch of good players that go every year and it’s fun to learn from them and pick their brain, so hopefully we can get the job done.”
Sam Rinzel, defenseman
Next season: After putting up five assists in his first nine NHL games, Rinzel already is a contender to lead the defensive group across from Vlasic. He averaged 23.2 minutes per game, second to now-former Hawk Seth Jones.
“He’s a great player,” Vlasic said. “Can’t say enough good things about him, defensively and offensively. … I felt like we started to understand each other’s game quite a bit toward the end of the season and read off of each other”
This summer: In a word: weight.
“Just getting stronger, faster, bigger,” Rinzel said. “Keep filling out my frame. Make sure (with my) shot, I’m finding those holes. When you’re from the point, you’re working through a lot of bodies in front. Just keep working on my shot a little bit, trying to get to score.”
Connor Murphy, defenseman
Next season: Barring some veteran free-agent additions, Murphy, 32, will be tasked with shepherding what could be the Hawks’ youngest defensive group in recent memory.
This summer: Like every offseason, he spends time with family in Columbus, Ohio.
“We have a 9-month-old, so preparing for his birthday this summer will be fun,” Murphy said.
Then he’ll pivot to training.
“We’ve had a good regimen here with (strength and conditioning coach Paul) Goodman and Brian Keane, on ice and off ice,” he said. “Sit down with them and talk about some goals and get specific again about the offseason training.
“I enjoy that time of year, trying to home in on specific things and try to get some specific results to feel different once the next season starts.”
Ethan Del Mastro, defenseman
Next season: The retirement of Alec Martinez and probable buyout of T.J. Brodie likely opens a roster spot, though the Hawks could add a free agent.
Del Mastro also will face competition from Wyatt Kaiser and other prospects. However, Sörensen said Del Mastro showed “really good progress.”
“Really good development all year, from the start of the year in Rockford till up here,” Sörensen said. “Reliable, positionally strong, defensively he gets stops, poised under pressure.”
This summer: He plans to keep working with Shield Athletics in Burlington, Ontario. But after 24 games with the Hawks, he has learned not to overdo it.
“I was talking to some of the other guys, and they let you know that rest is a weapon,” he said. “You don’t want to be burnt out halfway through the year.”
So Del Mastro plans to “take some time off the ice, let your body (recover), stay away from the rink and not skate so much — for a little bit at least.”
Spencer Knight, goaltender
Next season: Knight’s save percentage went down (.907 to .896) and his goals-against average went up (2.40 to 3.18) after the move from Florida to Chicago. Not surprising.
But he has been unfazed about assuming the No. 1 goalie spot. A restricted free agent after next season, he’ll have a year to cement the role.
This summer: Knight has begun to find middle ground with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite during 15 starts together.
“There’s more looking at the broader thing and you’re looking at the direction you want to go,” Knight said. “There are a lot of steps to take. I think we have a good group of people that are willing to do that.”
For now, one offseason priority is sorting out where to live in Chicago.
“This street’s loud, this street’s not,” he said. “There are so many little things that go into living in a city that you don’t think of in Florida. … The only thing bothering me might be the lizards in my backyard.”
Arvid Söderblom, goaltender
Next season: The restricted free agent has to re-sign with the Hawks, but that seems likely. Söderblom might have to contend with Laurent Brossoit, who missed the entire season with a right knee injury.
“I think it’s going to be a competition,” Davidson said. “We’d be fortunate to be in that position because it means LB is healthy.”
This summer: Söderblom plans to stay the course, building on the marginal improvement he made from 2023-24.
“Just keep going the way I’ve been doing and not trying to focus on circumstances and stuff like that, because it’s been a lot of that this year, stuff gone wrong,” he said. “So the one thing I’ve been doing good, I feel like, is to just take it day by day, focus on my folks in my development, and then everything else kind of falls in place.”
